Seven Visions of Truth
by targaryenemperor
Summary: Set between the sixth and the seventh season. Bran is still North of the Wall, near a weirwood tree. He saw the circumstances of Jon's birth but now, he wants to know more. This story will contain seven visions that show important moments from Robert's Rebellion such as the kidnapping of Lyanna Stark or the Battle of the Bells. I don't own ASoIaF or GoT. Rated T. I await reviews :)
1. First Vision: The Dragon Council

Bran was sitting near the weirwood tree, thinking. What he has seen… This could very well change the destiny of the Seven Kingdoms in a matter of seconds. But he needed to find more. The curiosity was too overwhelming. It made no difference to him that Jon was actually his cousin, not his half-brother. He loved him the same, even more actually, as now he knew how Jon must have felt for all those years, being considered a bastard. He almost cried thinking about all the moments his mother, Lady Catelyn, mistreated the boy, forcing him to eventually leave Winterfell and join the Night's Watch. Jon's place is not at Castle Black, Bran considered, but on the Iron Throne in King's Landing. But even as Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, the southron lords would probably not accept a bastard on the Iron Throne. Bran needed to find more. He owed that to Jon.

"Meera… Please, help me!"

"Again, Bran? Remember what the Three-Eyed Raven said!"

"Don't worry, I… Now I can control it. It's not like before."

"Fine. But be careful, Bran!"

The young Stark smiled at Meera. She was lovely and kind. His feelings for her were strong but what kind of life he can offer her? He can't give her children, he can't move without help. He wouldn't want her to become a glorified nursemaid or a servant. But now, what he feels doesn't matter as much as what he knows, and what he will know now. Helped my Meera, Bran approached the weirwood tree and touched it. His brown eyes became white again and he felt like he was thrown in a vortex. Bran opened the eyes and found out that he wasn't in the North anymore but in a luxurious room, somewhere in a southron palace. In front of him, a young man with long white hair and purple eyes, dressed into a red and black doublet with dragon motifs on it was sitting at a table, drawing something. Sitting on the other side of the table was a knight in armor and a white cloak with brown hair and brown eyes. Bran immediately recognized the knight as the man that fought his father at that tower in Dorne, the birthplace of Jon Snow. He was Arthur Dayne of the Kingsguard, Sword of the Morning.

 _Prince Rhaegar…_

Before Bran could approach the table to see what the white-haired man draw, Arthur Dayne arose from his chair and started to speak:

"So…"

The Targaryen looked at Ser Arthur:

"So… what? If you have something to tell me, Arthur, just tell me already. I can feel how you're judging me with your eyes. I prefer you to do it with your words instead!"

"I can't dare to judge my prince. But I must say… Was it wise?"

The prince smiled and reached for a pitcher full of wine and two glasses. He poured some for him and for Ser Arthur.

"Drink, Arthur!"

The Kingsguard knight obeyed immediately. Both him and the prince sipped their wine.

"Tell me, friend, before you were a Kingsguard, at Starfall, have you loved anyone?"

"Of course, my prince! My father, my mother, my older brother, my little sisters."

"No, no, you misunderstood me. Have you loved anyone as in… a woman?"

Arthur Dayne blushed but Rhaegar asked him a question and his vows compelled him to obey any order of a Targaryen:

"Yes… When I was a boy of twelve!"

"Ha, ha! That must be that Dornish blood of yours. Tell me, did you even had hair down there?"

The prince started to laugh while his friend was visibly flustered. But he had to answer, nonetheless:

"I presume I had, my prince. This girl… she was the daughter of one of mother's handmaids. She was older than me, I think fourteen. Her eyes were beautiful, green like an emerald and her smell was of roses and fresh mountain air."

"This is why I like you, Arthur. You can be a romantic when you want to be!"

"Yes, my prince."

"So? Go on!"

"Agh… One night, she slipped out of her room and into my bedchamber. She said to me that she loved me and she wanted me to make her my woman. I knew what that meant from my brother Roland whose greatest pastime was to tell me what kind of things he did with girls… I told her that would be unjust and dishonorably but when she touched me…"

"You said _fuck honor_ and went for it!"

"Yes. I'm not proud to say it but I took her maidenhead that night and the next day, my parents found out. My father was proud of me, said that now, I was truly a man but my mother started to rave. She was very religious, you know? So, she convinced father to send me away to be fostered at Sunspear."

"And that's why you disapprove of what I've done?"

"I don't disapprove. I simply believe it caused so much grief for nothing."

"You exaggerate, my friend. You know, sometimes I wonder why you can't be a little more like Jon."

"How, redheaded and angry?"

The two started to laugh:

"No, no. A bit more… laid back, you know, relaxed."

Bran knew from his history lessons with maester Luwin that the man they were talking about was Jon Connington, the former Lord of Griffin's Roost and the Mad King's Hand who lost the Battle of the Bells. Many said that Connington was the one who ended any chance for the loyalists to win against Robert Baratheon's rebels as he refused to burn down the Stoney Sept, instead preferring to find and fight the storm lord all by himself. Bran continued to listen to Arthur and Rhaegar.

"So, Arthur, I have an idea. Look at this piece of paper!"

"It's a… map? Or a blueprint for something?"

"No, it's Winterfell. The outline of the courtyard, the towers, the lord's chambers, as Jon remembered it."

"Jon was just a boy when his father took him to Winterfell."

"So what? The castle couldn't have changed much since then."

"Maybe but… Why are you so obsessed with Winterfell?"

"Well…"

Rhaegar left for the balcony. Both Arthur Dayne and Bran followed him. Bran had to be careful not to influence them in any way as even a touch or even a whisper could change the history as everyone knows it. From the balcony, Rhaegar looked across King's Landing and sighed:

"I would give anything just to hold her in my arms now. Even this… burden of being a prince."

"Not just a prince, a future king."

"Then the burden is even higher. Sometimes I just want to throw myself from the highest window in the Red Keep, just to end it all…"

Suddenly, a voice was heard from inside the room:

"Then we would have to rename the city to _Prince's Landing_."

A tall knight, a Kingsguard as well, with long brown hair and a bat motif on his white armor approached the balcony.

"You and your humor, Oswell…"

"What?"

Prince Rhaegar started to laugh. Oswell Whent was well known across the realm for cracking jokes even in the direst of situations.

"That was a good one. Now, listen, lads. I have something to discuss with both of you. I have an important scheme in mind, but I want you to swear to me that you will not tell anyone, not even your sword brothers."

"Of course, my prince!" said Arthur Dayne, "but why the secrecy?"

"Because they won't understand just as much as you would!"

"Tell us, prince Rhaegar!"

"I plan a little expedition to Winterfell to gaze upon Lady Lyanna."

"Again with this? Since you named her the queen of love and beauty at that damnable tourney, you can't think of something else."

"I agree with Ser Arthur. Don't forget that she is betrothed to Lord Robert Baratheon, your second cousin."

"Robert would never love Lyanna as much as I love her. How many bastards does he have already? He can't keep to one bed and Lyanna has no need of a whoremongering brute. Besides, when I saw her and her eyes… I knew it… she loves me too."

Arthur Dayne sighed:

"You know I would follow you to grave, but can't you reconsider?"

"No, I have to see her face again."

"Then it's done. We will follow you North. But tell me, my prince, do you plan of just gazing upon her or do you plan to, you know…"

"Please, not another joke!"

Before anyone could say anything else, Bran awoken. He was back in the present, back near the weirwood tree.

"Bran, are you alright?"

"Yes, Meera, don't worry!"

"What did you see?"

"The beginning of it all!"


	2. Second Vision: The Northern Abduction

"Bran, could you rest for a bit? You've been at it for hours. Not even the three-eyed raven…"

"I'm now the three-eyed raven, Meera. Thank you for being here with me. It means a lot for me, truly. But now, I need to see more. To see the truth."

"As you wish, Bran."

She hugged him. Bran loved her very much but now, there was no time for love or for his feelings. Now he had to see what happened next. He touched the weirwood. Again, a swirling sensation transported him in a small forest with a large castle nearby. Bran looked at the castle and his heart filled with sadness as he gazed upon Winterfell, his home. After a short walk, he entered the castle's courtyard. It was full of people. While some of them were complete strangers to him, there were others that Bran recognized, such as Old Nan and Hodor… Thinking about Hodor made Bran's heart bleed but seeing him… Even more so. After a few moments of admiring Winterfell's courtyard, he entered the castle proper. Growing up there, Bran knew every corner of the imposing seat of the Starks. He went straight for the lord's bedroom. Two men, one of whom Bran recognized from an earlier vision as his grandfather, Rickard Stark and a tall and fat maester with a huge chain around his neck. Bran noticed the man's eyes. They were much more different than those of Luwin. They were gray and cold. His grandfather spoke:

"I'm fine, Walys, it's just a scratch. You know, I feel quite proud of Benjen. He managed to hurt my hand with just his practice sword. He will grow up to be a great warrior, I am sure!"

"It's better to be safe than sorry. Let me bandage it, my lord. As for young Benjen, he told me that he would like to take the black one day!"

Rickard Stark sighed:

"My son thinks that the Night's Watch is the same glorious order as in songs and ballads. An order where young knights and proud warriors entered to protect the realms of men… But if this is his desire, I would not go against it. Maybe he'll make Lord Commander one day. Walys, where is Lyanna? She was supposed to be in her chambers, searching for a dress for the wedding. I've been there before sparring with Benjen and she wasn't there."

"Ah, you know the young lady, probably she rides her horse. She would be home soon."

"I'd rather have her here instead of wandering on horseback. We should depart as soon as possible to reach Riverrun in time for the wedding."

Walys finished up with bandaging Lord Rickard's hand and left the room. Bran then decided to leave too and try to find his aunt. After leaving Winterfell, he noticed three cloaked figures on horseback watching the castle from atop a hill.

 _They must be them…_

Bran appeared behind the three riders, one of the perks of being the three-eyed raven is the ability to move instantaneously inside those visions. Soon, a fourth rider arrived before them and spoke with a firm voice:

"Who are you? You aren't father's bannermen. What are you doing here?"

It was a woman, beautiful, with dark brown hair, resembling very much with Arya, Bran's sister. The boy knew she was Lyanna Stark.

A soft voice was heard from one of the three, the rider in the middle:

"Always willful, flower of the North…"

Lyanna was left speechless and a tear was quickly flowing on her cheek. The rider took off his hood and his locks of silver hair emerged. His purple eyes feasted on her, seeing her for the strong and beautiful woman she was. It started to snow, a summer snow, like many in the North. Prince Rhaegar approached Lyanna and took out a blue winter rose from underneath his cloak:

"A flower for another flower."

Lyanna got down from her horse and ran towards Rhaegar. They hugged and then he kissed her lips.

"Where did you get this flower… Blue winter roses are so rare…"

"I have my own means."

"My prince…"

Prince Rhaegar's companions revealed themselves as Arthur Dayne and Oswell Whent. The latter told the prince:

"Should we leave you alone?"

"There is no time, Ser Oswell. My lady, I came here with the intention to bask in your brilliant beauty but now that I've seen you again after so much time… Would you like to come with me?"

Both Kingsguard knights gasped hearing that. A faint smile appeared on Bran's face. Now he knew his aunt wasn't kidnapped.

"There is nothing more I would like in this world but… What about Robert? I am supposed to marry him! I can't just leave like this. You know how he is. He will go to the edge of the world to find me!"

"The lady speaks the truth, prince Rhaegar."

"Do you think the truth matters as much as love matters, Ser Arthur? My lady, what kind of life you would have at Storm's End? With a husband known throughout the Seven Kingdoms for his lechery and drunkenness? A flower cannot thrive in a stormy land, but somewhere with sun and plenty of light."

"I don't know…"

"Please, allow me to erase your doubts!"

Rhaegar kissed Lyanna again. This time, their kiss lasted longer. Lyanna would have wanted it to never end, to stay there in the arms of her prince forever but suddenly, a shout was heard. One of Lyanna's handmaids approached:

"What is this?! My lady, what…?"

Rhaegar Targaryen approached her:

"Hush now, my lady. I am prince Rhaegar of House Targaryen. I've come here to take lady Lyanna with me."

"Where? With all due respect, prince Rhaegar, this is folly! Lord Rickard would never allow it! My lady, come with me to Winterfell! You must leave for Lord Brandon's wedding. Lord Rickard commanded me to bring you back…"

"He must not find out, not until we leave the North!"

"By the gods, my lady… Do you realize what are you doing?"

"Yes, Merry. I leave with the man I love. Please, swear to me by the gods that you won't tell father, please!"

"But, lady Lyanna…"

"Please!"

Lyanna's eyes were tearful. She clearly loved prince Rhaegar. Merry sighed:

"As you wish, my lady. I swear I won't tell Lord Rickard that you left with prince Rhaegar. But know this… Your act, it may be out of love, but it will have consequences."

"I know and I'm ready for them."

Without saying another word, Rhaegar and Lyanna, alongside the two Kingsguard, departed, galloping at breakneck speed. Merry was left behind.

Bran returned to the real world. Meera's face was the first thing he saw. He smiled at her:

"Judging your face, you saw something interesting, didn't you?"

"More than interesting. But I must find more! It seems that our history is full of lies and misinformation."

"Like any other!"

"I must rest for a bit. After I wake up, I will find out more!"


	3. Third Vision: The Painted Table of Fate

"Burn them all!"

Bran woke up. It was just a nightmare, but the Mad King's voice still ringed in his ears. Bran was afraid of him. Sure, he had a good reason as Aerys burned Lord Rickard, Bran's grandfather, alive and strangled his uncle Brandon too but the man was dead, slain by the one they call Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister. Why does a dead man strike so much fear into the young wolf's heart?

"What happened?"

Meera came to his side, bringing him a jug of water from a small river nearby.

"Just dreams. Don't worry about me so much!"

"Well, I can't just leave you like this, can I?"

"Ugh, you should but I believe nothing in this world will make you do so!"

"You're right!"

"Thank you for the water, Meera. I shall eat a little and then, back to the weirwood."

Meera knew better than to argue with Bran. When the Stark was set on doing something, he would do it, no matter what, probably because of the wolf blood in his veins. Bran ate a bit of salted beef before Meera helped him to the weirwood tree:

"Now, let's see what are you going to show me this time!"

Saying this, he put his hand on the tree and the familiar sensation returned. Now, he was in another castle, completely unfamiliar to him. It wasn't the Red Keep, nor Winterfell. It was somewhat darker and far somber than Winterfell. He was in a large room with large windows but no matter how big they were, light was pretty dim there. Also, in the middle of the room was a large table painted with a huge map of Westeros. Immediately, Bran knew where he was.

 _Dragonstone!_

He walked around the Painted Table of Aegon the Conqueror, admiring the work of art that it was. Before being able to glare for long, the doors opened and a young woman with black hair, dressed in a long, yellow dress with a Targaryen dragon brooch on her chest. Bran didn't take too long to confirm who she was.

 _So that's Princess Elia!_

Indeed, she was Elia Martell, daughter of the late princess of Dorne, Mora Martell, sister to Princes Doran and Oberyn and of course wife to Rhaegar Targaryen. After a few moments, another person entered the room, this time a middle-aged maester with a large chain and black robes. Bran didn't know the man's name.

"Princess, what are you doing here? I was told by your septa that you are here. You were supposed to be in bed! Your fever hasn't passed yet!"

"I know, but... I just wanted to come here and watch the sea... Here is the best view of the sea from inside the castle, as you refuse to leave me stay on the battlements at least."

"My princess, how can I? I must take care of you! It's my duty as your maester!"

"I know, Harys, and I thank you for it! You are the only friend I have in this castle... You and those dragon statues. Do you think they can hear me?"

She laughed, but it was a sad laugh. Maester Harys laughed with her too.

"Sometimes, I wonder myself that too. Since I was a boy in Maidenpool, I dreamed to see dragons with my own eyes. I was obsessed with them. Surely, they are only statues but... Real dragons were here too in the past when Aegon planned the conquest of Westeros from this very table."

"Indeed. Dragonstone is a castle fit for a conqueror and I'm afraid it doesn't agree with me very much."

"You still miss Dorne, my princesss?"

"What about you, Harys? Do you miss Maidenpool?"

"Well, not much. You know I was the sixth son of a fisherman and when my father beat my mother so hard that she was left deaf in her left ear, I swore to heal her by going to the Citadel and learn to become a maester but she died during my stay in Oldtown, killed by the same man who tormented her for years. He pleaded for mercy and asked to be sent to the Wall, where I hope he will die slowly and painfully, with frostbite eating his every member! So I don't miss Maidenpool very much."

Harys' answer saddened the princess, and Bran too. Some life stories were sadder than the others. Bran thought his destiny was cursed, after he was forced to leave his home and wander the North for so much time, losing his family in the process. But through the visions, he found out that other men, who lived in another time, had sad stories, some of them even sadder than Bran's own. He contined to listen:

"I'm sorry, I really do. I miss Dorne very much... not Sunspear as much as the Water Gardens. The sound of children playing in the water, naked as the day they were born, equal, without shame, not knowing who is of high birth and who is not, the smell of blood oranges in the morning's air, my mother's stories and her eyes, always so understanding and compassionate, my brother Oberyn's japes, Doran's smile... He smiled a lot, you know? Even more so after his children were born. Having a son or a daughter is a beautiful moment, you know?"

"I don't know much about that, my princess. I have helped many women give birth but I have no sons or daughters of my own, so I can't say I know the feeling."

"It's the most beautiful thing for a man, but even more for a woman, to have your son or your daughter in your arms, a piece of you, a little piece of you... It makes you forget the immense pain you were going through to bring them into the world... A woman loves her children unconditionally, no matter if they were fathered by a miller or a fisherman, or even a dragon..."

The princess' eyes were filled with tears.

"Are you alright?"

"I am. I'm just nostalgic, that's all. So... any news from my husband?"

Maester Harys' face darkened:

"Well... this is why I wanted to find you, my princess!"

"What happened?"

"I have news from the capital. His Grace, King Aerys, wants you to return to King's Landing. You and the children. Something happened!"

Elia stopped crying. Now, she was utterly shocked. She feared the Mad King just as much as any man and to be summoned by him meant death for a lot of people.

"Tell me, Harys!"

"Lord Rickard Stark and his son Brandon are dead."

"How... Ugh... I am sorry for them, truly, but... how does that affect me, or the children?"

"King Aerys put them to death after they came to the capital to complain about the fact that your husband, Prince Rhaegar..."

"What about my husband?"

"Your husband apparently abducted Lady Lyanna Stark. As she is to be married to Lord Robert Baratheon, you understand that this deed is unforgivable. The reports say that Brandon Stark arrived at the Red Keep with a retinue to challenge the prince but he was nowhere to be found. However, His Grace considered Stark's accusations treason and had him arrested, alongside his friends. He summoned Lord Rickard to court and then..."

Elia Martell started to tremble:

"Then... what?"

"The king burned Lord Rickard alive and strangled his son who watched his father being cooked alive in his own armor."

The images forming in Elia's head were horrendous. She met Lord Rickard and his son at that damned tourney at Harrenhal and he seemed like a good, honorable man. To meet such a fate was awful, and all because of her husband's passion for the She-Wolf of Winterfell. Elia painfully remembered how Rhaegar Targaryen put that crown on Lyanna's lap, instead of giving it to her. She didn't think much of that at the moment, considering Rhaegar was just trying to win the Northmen's friendship but now, his gesture seemed to have another kind of intentions behind it. She still couldn't believe how Rhaegar could be so... heartless, so dishonorable. Every man in the Seven Kingdoms knew that Lyanna was promised to Lord Robert of Storm's End who loved her with a fierce passion bordering obsession. More so, Robert Baratheon was the prince's second cousin, as his grandmother was Rhaelle, the daughter of Aegon the Fifth. _No, this can't be true! If this is true then..._

"My princess... We're at war!"

Bran returned back in the present, with Meera Reed beside him.

"What did you see now, Bran?"

Bran Stark sighed:

"Innocence and pain..."


End file.
